Lincoln is making design changes to speed up its comeback

One of the big stories in the surging US auto market is the
comeback of Lincoln.

Ford's top brand was headed for the dustbin of automotive history
after the financial crisis, but then CEO Alan Mulally was
convinced to keep the marque, which had largely gotten lost in
the luxury shuffle.

The big story is the front end. The Lincoln revival won't be led
by the swoopy, beak-like front design that has probably both
helped the brand's cars stand out — but also held it back with
potential buyers who simply couldn't warm to the Gallic flair of
the look.

The new grille is drawn from the design of the all-new
Continental, a large-and-in-charge sedan that Lincoln revealed at
the New York Auto Show early this year.

Lincoln has also dropped a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 under the
hood, good for 400 horsepower.

A new look, more power, and even a ditching of the "EcoBoost"
name to describe the turbo. The new MKZ gets just a simple
"3.0T," which executives told Business Insider resonates
better with the luxury customers the brand is aiming to woo.

EcoBoost no
more.Matthew DeBord/Business
Insider

Rebranding, much less wholesale revivals, don't happen overnight.
Lincoln is working incrementally here. The first strike was of
course the suite of offbeat, yet in retrospect very innovative,
ads starring
Matthew McConaughey and his esoteric musings. The parodies
immediately followed, but Lincoln's recovery had gone viral,
setting the stage for the unveiling of the Continental.

The right cars at the right time

Meanwhile, Lincoln was selling a hulking uber-SUV, the Navigator,
and a lineup of smaller crossovers that were the right cars to
have on dealers lots at the right time, as the US auto market was
roaring toward sales heights not seen since before the Great
Recession. Cheap gas and loose credit made it possible for
consumers to think about SUVs again. For Lincoln, this was a
boon, as luxury SUVs can serve up beefier profits than their
mass-market counterparts.

All this has established a baseline for Lincoln to make an
intriguing push into territory dominated by Mercedes, BMW, Audi,
and Lexus. The German carmakers promote performance as a
luxury value, Lexus wants luxury to be effortless, while
Lincoln's Detroit rival, Cadillac, aims for aggressive
luxury.

The new grille
...Matthew DeBord/Business
Insider

... connects the MKZ to
the Continental.Matthew
DeBord/Business Insider

The MKZ is emblematic of Lincoln's desire to offer a less
self-conscious type of luxury. The performance is there, although
no one will mistake an MKZ for a BMW 3-Series. Inside, the MKZ
envelopes the driver and passengers in a plushness that's
relaxing, while being crisp enough to keep everyone awake.
There's technology galore and an abundance of premium materials.
The seats are, for my money, the best in the business.

Comfy luxury

Does the thing have rear-wheel drive? It does not. It has
all-wheel drive, as well as a front-drive version, a smaller
2.0-liter engine with 245 horsepower, and a hybrid trim option.
In theory, this should keep the MKZ out of the Big Luxe Club,
where rear-wheel drive rules. But Lincoln might not be angling
for a true head-to-head with the Bimmers and Mercs.

Rather, the brand is trying to deftly outflank the competition
with some suave maneuvers. I drove the hybrid version of the
outgoing MKZ last year and found it to be a car that was
perfectly comfortable in its own skin. The whole undergirding
premise of the Lincoln comeback now appears to be try
hard but never let them see you sweat.

The bottom line is that as a luxury brand Lincoln isn't quite
ready to take on the Germans, and it has a way to go before even
Cadillac should get worried. The logical foe is GM's Buick, which
makes sense: Buick was also in rough shape a decade ago, but GM
couldn't let it go because it was so important to the China
strategy (Buicks are traditionally accorded high status
there).

The updated MKZ is a step along Lincoln's similar path to
redemption. And in any case, even though the car goes on sale
next year, it will be revamped in a few years. Lincoln is slowly
and steadily improving. And the lack of drama around the MKZ
reveal in LA is consistent with the brand's new mojo.